Cookie fever!

Isaac: 'Amma can we make Cookies'
Me: 'Isaac I dont have butter. I will buy it today and we will make cookies tomorrow.'
He seemed happy with the response and I got on Zopnow and ordered unsalted butter which arrived a few hours later.

This was Thursday evening. On Friday morning I had to go out early in the morning and did not watch the kids wake up. But Suresh said that he did ask for me in the morning.

When I returned in the afternoon, I was too tired that I decided to hug Ziva and take a nap. In about an hours time there was a whisper near my ear. 'Amma can we make cookie now'
I had forgotten to keep the butter out! I felt rather guilty but dragged myself out of bed and again made the same excuse
'Isaac I forgot to keep the butter out. Lets see if we can find a recipe with oil for cookies'.
We did and let me tell you there is a reason people use butter instead of oil in cookies. Because oil cookies taste like crap.
I made a small batch that smelt like sunflower oil even with an extra dousing of vanilla essence. Isaac happily mixed and then made little cookie dough balls on the cookie tray. We waited the 12 minutes and brought the cookies out. A few minutes later we both took a bite into what can only be described as the worst tasting cookie ever! I thought - there goes a lot of sugar, flour and chocolate chip to waste!
Isaac: Its yummy!
I was shocked. I had almost claimed the whole tray to compost when he picked up a second cookie and happily gobbled it. When he reached for the third cookie, I had to rescue his tiny stomach and put the rest of the oil cookies in a jar.  Isaac asked for a cookie snack every single day after that.

I dont think he has great taste buds ... but he has great taste in getting me to spend time with him. It wasnt the cookies that were tasty. It was the time we spent together making it that added just the right flavors for him

Yesterday after reading a few pages of a book to him I dropped it down and said - Lets take a break.
Isaac: A baking break
Heart my boy!

Sipping hot cocoa with a friend

I always dreamed about being my child's best friend. This was before I had kids. I promised myself I would be understanding and logical and a fun mom! But that was before all the yelling and screaming and tantrums. That was before I realized that kids are completely illogical.

But things are changing. I had a friend in the US who told me ... "the first two years are very hard and then it becomes really easy"
She was encouraging me as I was wallowing in my own pity about how close my kids were in age to each other. The first two years have come and gone and it seems like she knew what she was talking about. There is still yelling and screaming and things that never make sense ... but there are these moments that make you feel like things will become easy!

Ziva is still at the age where sentences don't always make sense and communication is more about yes's and no's

But my four year old Isaac ... well he seems like a big boy now. With a sense of humor and memories and thoughts that do not necessarily know the time of events .... but clearly remember events!

I have often heard him talking to himself. In vague interrupted sentences he recollects conversations, promises and vague happenings.
It was one such afternoon that he asked for 'once more' that made me realized that inspite of my yelling and screaming ... there were moments he enjoyed with me too.

It was one afternoon that I woke Isaac up a little earlier than Ziva and we sat down to read a few stories. I am not sure which story it was ... or how the talk about hot chocolate came. But I asked him 'Isaac you want some hot chocolate.
He nodded a yes and looked a little excited.
We made the milk hot ... put in the drinking cocoa ... and to give things an added interest I pulled out a piece of Dairy milk from the refrigerateur and asked him to drop it into the milk.

He looked surprised but followed instructions as he watched me drop my piece into the milk and stir it.
We took our hot chocolate out to the steps and watched the school kids return home. He watched me stir my chocolate ... and sip and he imitated me.

A few days later ... another early wake up with Isaac and even before he was fully awake he requested
'Can I have hot chocolate and put chocolate in it?'

I nodded ... pleased with myself. Happy that I had started a new tradition ... just mom and son (and when Ziva stops needing afternoon naps she can join us too.)
Sipping cocoa on the steps .. two friends ... watching the afternoon slip into evening ....